Fire in Bosnian migrant shelter injures 32

SARAJEVO, Bosnia and Herzegovina – A fire in a shelter for migrants in northwest Bosnia on Saturday, June 1, left 32 people hurt either from burns or injuries after they jumped from windows to escape the flames, authorities said.

The blaze broke out after dawn in the privately-run facility in the town of Velika Kladusa, said Ale Siljdedic, spokesman for the Bihac regional interior ministry.

“The fire has been put out, 32 migrants have been injured,” some of them after jumping from the second floor, Siljdedic told Agence France-Presse, adding the blaze was “doubtless” due to an electrical fault.

One person was taken to hospital, regional International Migration Organization coordinator Vladmir Mitkovski told FTV television.

Around 500 migrants were in the shelter at the time, Siljdedic said.

It was the second blaze in recent weeks to hit a place where migrants were staying in Bosnia.

Three weeks ago, 3 migrants died when a candle they were using set fire to the abandoned building they were in, according to Indira Kulenovic, a manager for Bosnia operations of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent.

Since early 2018 Bosnia has found itself on the “Balkans route” used by migrants seeking to enter EU countries. Around 3,500 migrants are housed in 8 shelters, mostly in the northwest, close to the border with EU member Croatia. – Rappler.com